Holder for playing cards



R. C. CASTLES. HOLDER FOR PLAYING CARDS.

APPLICATION FILED APII. III 1921.

rra/eres RICHARD C. CASTLES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

'HOLDER rea PLAYING canne.

aerea-i7.

application area April u,

To all 107mm it may concern.:

Be it known that l, RICHARD C. CAsTLEs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of illinois, have invented certain new and useful improvements in a Holder for Playing Cards, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in holders for cards, and more particularly to that type of such holders employed for holding playing-cards, and it consists in certain peculiarities of the construction, novel arrangement and combination of the various parts thereof, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth and specifically claimed.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a card-holder, more especially for playing-cards, and particularly intended for the use of one-armed persons in playing the various games of cards, which shall be simple and inexpensive in construction, attractive in appearance, compact in form, strong, durable and highly efficient in operation, with its parts so made and arranged that they canbe folded into or caused to occupy, when the device is not in use, substantially flat positions, thus enabling it yto be readily carried in a traveling bag or suitcase, or to be stored in a drawer or thellike, without taking up much space.

Another object, is to provide a holder for playing-cards which will yieldingly grip the lower portions thereof, in such a way, that they'can be arranged on and held by the holder with their side edges in overlapping relation to one another, to the end, that in playing a game not one of them will be overlooked. A further object .is to provide the holder with means for restricting the downwardrmovementof the cards between the clamping members therefor, thus preventing the possibility of their markings being concealed by one of said members.

Numerous other advantages and objects of the invention will be disclosed in the following description and explanation.

In the accompanying drawing which serves to illustrate an embodiment of the invention- Fig. 1 is a front face perspective view showing a number of cards held by the device.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Flg. 1. n

Fig. 3 is a greatly enlarged sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, and

Specification of Letters Patent. llmattcemilttll Maly 11.6, i922.

1921. Serial No. 460,453.

Fig. 4 is a similar View to Fig. 2 but showing the parts in their folded or inoperative positions.

Like numerals of reference refer to corresponding parts throughout the different views of the drawing.

rlhe base of the device is designated by the numeral 5 and may be made of any suitable size, form and material, but by preference of substantially an elliptical shape with its upper and lower surfaces iiat and in parallelism with one another. Secured to the upper surface of the base 5 by means of hinges 6 located near one of the edges of the base is a clamping member 7 which is semicircular as shown and has its edge adjacent to the base slightly beveled as at 8, see Fig. 2, in order that when the member 7 vis in its operative position as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing, it will be caused to assume and maintain a rearwardly inclined position from the user of the device. The rear portion of the member 7 is covered or lined with felt 9 or other suitable cushioning material which as shown in Fig. 2 overlaps the curved edge of the member 7. At suitable points the member 7 is provided with a plurality of openings 10 which are arranged in a curved line or row disposed concentrically with the curved edge of said member.

Secured to the rear surface of the member 7 by means of screw-bolts 11 one of which is extended through each of the openings 10, is a rear clamping member 12 which is also semi-circular in shape but of greater di! mensions than the member 7 as will be readily understood by referencev to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing. `This rear clamping member 12 is provided on its surface adjacent the member 7 `with a lining or covering 9 offelt or other suitable cushioning material which lining overlaps the curved edge of the member 12 and may be secured thereon in any suitable manner. The lower or straight edge of the member 12, like the corresponding edge of the member 7 is forwardly beveled as at 13, see Fig. 2, so as to cause the member 12 to assume and maintain a rearwardly inclined position when the parts are being used for holding cards.

The screw bolts 11 which connect the members 7 and 12 together are extended loosely through the openings 10 and are screwed into the member 12 from its sur-A face adjacent the member 7 or front member. Surrounding each of the screw bolts 7I and 12 will be resilientlyr held with respect to one another not only by reason of the action of the springs 15 but also by reason of the cushioning effect of the lining 9 with which said members are equipped on their adjacent surfaces. It is further manifest that the clamping action of the members y7 and 12 can be regulated by turning .the screw bolts 11 in the proper direction so as to increase or ldecrease the tension of the springs 15 as may be desired.

In Pi 1, it will be seen that the curved edges 0 the members 7 and 12 are concentrically located with respect to one another and that by having the screw` bolts 11 arranged in a curved row concentrically below the curved edge of the member 7, said bolts will serve as stops to prevent the downward movement of the cards 17 which can be readily placed between the members 7 and 12 or easily withdrawn therefrom.

From the foregoing and by reference to the drawing, it will be readily understood and clearly seen that, assuming the parts of the device to be' located in the positions shown iny Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, 1t

is manifest that the clamping members 7 and 12 will be maintained in an upwardly and rearwardly inclined position from the user by reason of the beveled lower edge of the front one of said members. When the parts are in the aforesaid position, it is evident that a large number of cards can be placed between the upper portion of the front member 7 and the member 12 and that the cards can be disposed, if desired, so as to disclose their corner markings only,with the exception of one of the cards. yIn this way the markings of the cards can be readily read by the user of the device who of course will sit directly in front of the holder, but it will be almost impossible for them to be read by an opponent. rllhe spring-actuated clamping member 12 extends upwardly av considerable distance above the upper edge of the member 7 and will thus not only act as a guide and be of assistance to a onearmed person in inserting the cards between the clamping members, but will also strongly support the cards at their backs in such a way as to prevent them being displaced laterally so as to avoid covering up the markings of one card by another.

When it is desired to store the device or to place its parts in position to be carried in a suitcase or the like, it is manifest that the members 7 and 12-can be turnedion their. I

hinges so as tooccupy about theposition shown in l4`ig. 4 of the drawing, in which view it will be observed that the lowermost screw-bolts 11 are so disposed that they will not strike the upper surface of the base 5 when the device is folded.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. ln a device of the class described, the combination with a base adapted to rest on a horizontal support, of a clamping member longitudinally disposed thereon and hinged thereto, another clamping member similarly disposed to said base and parallel to the rear face of the first named member, and

means carried by the hinged member and engaging the other member for automatically actuating the latter bodily towards the other member. i

2. 1n a device of the class described, the combination. with a base adapted to rest horizontally on a support, of a semi-circular clamping member longitudinally disposed thereon and hinged at its straight edge thereto, of'another semi-circular clampin member of larger dimensions than the first named clamping member similarly disposed to the base and parallel to the rear face of the first named member, and means carried by the hinged member and engaging the other member for automatically actuating the latter bodily towards the other member.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a semi-circular clamping member hinged at its straight edge to a suitable support and having a plurality of spaced openings extended transversely therethrough, of another semi-circular clamping member of larger dimensions than the first named member located` in parallelism with the rear face of the first named member, and spring actuated screw-bolts extended 4loosely through the openings in the first named member and engaging and supporting said rear member.

4. ln a device of the class described, the combination with a semi-circular clamping member having its straight edge beveled and hinged to a `suitable support and provided with a plurality of spaced openings extended transversely therethrough, of another semi-circular clamping member of larger dimensions than the first named member located in parallelism with the rear face of the. first named member and having its straight edge beveled and located in coincidence with the beveled edge of the iirst named member, and spring actuated screw,

bolts extended loosely through the openings in the first named member and engaging and supporting the rear member.

RICHARD C. CASTLES. 

